9 Uruguay Wineries You Need to Visit at Least Once in Your Lifetime

In an area of vast nothingness, which creates a perfect calm environment, the Viña Eden winery is one of the most impressive buildings you will ever see in such a natural environment. Just under 40 km (25 miles) outside of coastal city Punta del Este, the landscape changes completely and becomes dry soil, with green rolling hills, perfect for their world renown reds, like their Gold Medal Winning Tannat, a wine deeply rooted in the history of Uruguay.

The modern building of the Bodega Garzón perfectly represents the winery’s view on viticulture, as they are using the most current technology to perfect the process of wine making. The town of Garzón could not be more opposite, as it has remained the same for decades. Try a Uruguayan classic like the Tannat, and pair it with a succulent piece of beef from the terrific on-site restaurant.

The biggest winery in Uruguay is also one of the most historic, as the property looks like a small dusty, 1800s settlement from the outside and is the home of one of Uruguay’s most famed wines, not just within the country but globally – Don Pascual. Another famous and delicious line created at this establishment is that of Casa Magrez de Uruguay, and a tour here in Juanicó, outside of the nation’s capital, will give you a great look into the traditional form of wine making.

The El Colorado region is one of the pioneer regions of wine making in Uruguay, and the De Lucca winery is one of of Uruguay’s oldest. The winery distributes three lines of wines – Premier, Reserve, and Premium – which you can taste on a pre-organized tour and tasting between Monday and Friday that comes paired with some appetizers.

‘I came, I drank, I conked out’, could be the appropriate slogan for this winery that also functions as a wine lodge, where you can stay overnight in your own gorgeous room with views of the winery, named appropriately not after numbers, but wine varietals. If you like a dark powerful red, rent the Tannat room, enjoy the events and tastings on site, and eat at the gorgeous, vintage, rustic wood restaurant.

Specializing in one of the wines that Uruguay is most known for, the Tannat, Bodega Artesana are focusing their quaint wineries activities on perfecting their scope of wine making. They are famous for creating the only Zinfandel in Uruguay, and have received high acclaim for their Tannat, Merlot, Zinfandel blend with careful barrel ageing in American and French oaks.

The Bouza Bodega is a family-run winery and have their hands, quite literally, in the process on every bottle, as they truly believe in quality over quantity. Their reds are focused on Merlot, Tempranillo and Tannat, while their wine wines are Chardonnay and Albariño, with their traditional Tannat having won them various awards on the international stage.

Uruguayan wine maker Héctor Stagnari has travelled the world perfecting his form of wine making, from studying it in school, to studying and working in Bordeaux and California, before returning to his home country and opening his own winery to bring all his knowledge and experience into liquid form. The winery promotes a rigorous attention to detail to create incredible small batches of reds, whites and rosés.

Wine lovers Alvaro Lorenzo and Paula Pivel followed their passion, and with no experience in wine making, have created something quite remarkable. They attacked the process with due diligence and selected a prime location inland from the coastal town of Punta Ballena. They have grown their winery to eight hectares, which has produced wines like Merlot, Tannat, Cab-Franc, among others that are featured in stores and restaurants through South America and over in Europe.